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Late in the third quarter, Hawk cheerleaders were ready to drop after 47 jumping jacks when Meridian fan Kaiden Damery shouted, “Hang in there girls, it’s only the third quarter.” Little did these cheerleaders know the Hawks would eventually defeat Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine and win the game with a final score of 60-8. Friday, August 30, 2019 is the first time in 14 years the Hawks won their season opener.

“I was the coach in 2005, but I was not aware that it had been that long since we had won a home opener,” said Meridian High School Principal Eric Hurelbrink. “It’s pretty exciting. It’s nice to get off the season starter with a nice game like this right now.”

Senior Jacob Jones [3], scored the first touchdown of the game 2 minutes and 26 seconds into the first quarter with a 19 yard rush. This would be the first of many touchdowns for the Hawks and helped the team start off strong and gain the early lead.

“Tremendous, it was wonderful,” said Jones’ mother Carol Jones when asked how it felt to watch her son score the first touchdown early in the game.

“It feels like we can win more games after this,” said Jacob Jones.

Another key part of the Hawks victory was senior Zach Bowman [35]. Bowman scored a touchdown in the 4th quarter and played a great game.

“It’s an awesome feeling to know that we won. Coming off of two seasons not winning very much and to finally win, it’s a great feeling,” said Bowman moments after the game. “Well I feel like we’re going to do really great this season and we just have to keep momentum and keep pushing and not stop.”

The game concluded with players and cheerleaders gathering to sing the school song to the crowd of Meridian fans.

The Hawks play next on September 6 against Kincaid South Fork for their home opener.

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